The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1887-04-01

! 9 :. r.ess- J ", 'sy..s -s-, -
DEss WAS STILL LEANING AGAINST TIL
| PIANO.
| in n way that, no doubt. meant unutterabi
things, but which did not convey much to hi
astonished guest, who sat still and said moth
| ing Then Bessie got up and bade hini good
| night in her pleasant voice, and with house
| wifely care inquired as to whether his room
was TO his liking, and how many blankets Ii
| liked upon his bed telling him that il b,
| found the odor of the moonflowers, that grew
near tho veranda, too strong, ho had better
shut tho right hand window and open that OF
tho other side of the room; and then a
length, witha piquant little nod of her colder
head, sho went off, looking, ho thought as Ii,
watched her retreating figure, about u,
healthy, graceful and generally satisfactory
young woman as Il man could wish to see
"Take glass of grog, Capt. Mel" said thC
old man, pushing the square bottle toward
him; "you1l need it after the lnaulng thai
brute gave you. BY the way, / haven't
thanked you enough for saving my Bessie
But / do thank you, yes, that do. must
tell you that Bessie is my favorite niece
Never was there such girl-never. Moves
like springbuck, and what an eye and form
hs
There's no nonsense about Bessie, none at oil
She's not a fine lady, for all her fine looks"
1.-THE two sisters seem very different" said
John.
"Ay, you're right there" said the old man.
"You'l never think that tho same blood ran
in their veins, would you. There's three
years between them, that's one thing. Bcs-
sizes the youngest, you see--she's just 20 and
jess is %. Lord, to think that it is twenty
three years since that girl was born. And
theirs was queer story, too"
"Indeed" said his listener, interrogatively.
cay" he went on absently. knocking out
his pipe and refilling it out Of a big, brown
jar of coarse cut Boer tobacco; "I'll tell it TO
you il you like; you are going to live in the
house, and you may as well know it, I an
sure, Capt. Mel, that it will go no further.
You see was born in England; yes, and we'll
born, too. l come from Cambridgeshirc-
from that fat fenland down round Ely. My
father was clergyman. Well, no wasn't
rich, and when was 20 he gave me his bless
ing, thirty soyereigns i'll my pocket and my
passage to the Cape; and l shook his hand.
God bless him! and off l came, and hero in
the old colony and this country have been
for fifty years, for was 10 yesterday. Well,
I'll tell you more about that another time;
it's about the girls I'm speaking now. After
| left home-twcnty years after or hard on
tiny dear old father married again. q
youngish woman with some money, but be-
meath him somewhat in life, and by her lie
had one son and then died. Well, it was but
little | heard of my. half brother, except that
he had turned out very badly, married and
taken to drink, till one hight some twelve
years ago, when q strange thing happened l
was sitting here in this very room-ay, in
his very chair-for this part of the house was
up then, though the wings weren't built-and
smoking my pipe and listening to the lashing
IF the rain, for it was very foul night, when
suddenly on old pointer dog l had, named
Ben, gave u bark.
clio down, Ben; it's only the Kafirs,
aid I.
Just then l thought heard faint sort of
npping at the door, and Ben barked again,
2 cot UP and opened it, and in came two
ltt.e girls, wrapped UP in old shn,sls some
UGH Gear. Well, shut the door, looking |
nut first to SEQ il there were any more outside, |
md then / stood and stared at the two little |
h;ngs with my mouth open. There they |
TODD, hand in hui:d, the water dripping |
rom both o. them, and the eldest might |
ave been II. and the second abo2s S. They |
idn't say anything, but the eldest turned |
nd took the shawl and hat off the younger
.lat WIS Eessie-and there Yves her sweet
ttla facc cid her golden hair, and damp |
liouSh 10th of them were, and she put her
lumb ia her mouth, and stood and looked at
&c till | began to think that was dreaming
"'pica5c sir, said the. biggest, at last, is
IL, Nj. Croft'i housc-Mr Croft, South
.frictui RcpublcN
|
Yes, little miss, this is Iii. house, end this
the South African Republic, and | am be.
nd now who might you be, my dearsF l
lswcled.
III you please, Sir, we are your uieces, and
e have come to you from England i
'Whatn | lafioaed, startled out of my
its, as well might be.
"'Oh, sir, says the poor little thing, clasp
q her thin, wet hands, please don't send us
way. Bessie is so wet and cold and hungry,
10, she isn't fit to go any farther
"And she set to work to cry whereon the
tile one cried too, from fright and cold and
'mpathy.
"Well, of course, took them both to tho
e and set them on my knees and halloaed for
ebe, tho old Hottentot woman who did my
'oknig, and between Us we undreSsed them
id wrapped them up in some old clothes
I'd fed them with soup and wine, SO that in
If an hour they were quite happy and not
bit frightened.
AID now, young ladies' said, como
I'd give me kiss, both of you, and tell mo
w you camc here
And this Is tho tale they told mc-com-
eted, of course, from what / learned after | .
an odd one it is 1t seems that
Y half brother married Norfolk lady-a
Get young thinS-and treated her like a !
G. He was drunken rascal, was my half '
Other and he beat his poor wife and shame
Ily neglected her, and even ill treated the | {
o little girls, till at last the poor woman,
ak as she was from suffering and i'll health,
I'D bear it 10 longer, and formed the wild |
a OF escaping to this country and throw | j
!, herself upon my protection. 1t will show
" desperate she must have been. She l
aped together and borrowed some money,
ougb to pay for three second class passages
Natal and u few pounds over, and one day,
en her brute of a husband was away on
drink and gamble, she slipped on board "A
ling ship in the London docks, and before r
knew anything about it they were well on. :
sea. But it was her last effort.
NJ, dear soul, and the excitement of
finished her. Before they had
N ton days at sea she sunk and died, and
two poor children were left alone. And
at they must have suffered, or rather
at poor jess must have suffered, for she
5 old enough to feel God only knows. But
III tell YOU this, she has never got over the 7
ok to this hour. IL has left its mark on
!. sir But, let people say what they will,
re is power that looks after the helpless, \
that power took those poor, homeless,
ndering children under its wing. The cap
4 OF the vessel befriended them, and when
asst they got to Durham some of the rasscn- r
s made a subscription and got an old Bocr, ID
y was coming up this way with his wife TO